Stack pusher



Oct. 30, 1945.

S TACK 'PlISHER Filed Ma 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvsn'rqn GM Ellis ATTORNEYS 0a. 30, 1945'. c. M. ELLIS 2,387,985

STACK PUSHER Filed May 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

INVENTOR CTME'ZZis BY WM ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 30, 1945 STACK PUSHER ClarenceM. .Ellis, Lodi, Calif., assignor of one- =third to J. EQDevine and one-third to James Prentice, both of Lodi, Calif. ApplicationMay 8, 1944, Serial No. 534,679

Claims. (01. 254-414) llliisinvention relates to, and it is an object 'to provide, a devicerfor pushing vertical stacks of 7 produceboxes to desired positions without liftin such .stacks from the floor; the device .being especially useful in connection with the loading of a stacked produce' boxes in railroad refrigerator cars wherein the load comprises a pluralityof stacks of boxes disposed in I closely-adjacent;symmetrical relation.

Another .object of the invention is to provide a stack pusher, as above, which is so arranged that it .rnay also be effectively used to vertically aline the .boxes of any given stack.

.Afurther object is to provide a stack pusher which comprises a base including floor engaging teeth projecting downwardly therefrom adjacent the rear .end, the forward end of saidbase being wheel supported, a .foot actuated slide mounted on the base for longitudinal slidingmovement, and, a box stackengaging post upstanding from "the slide at itsforlward end and beyond the corresponding end of the base.

A .fu rther object of the inventionis tofproduce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective m the purpose for whichitisdesigned.

These objects 'I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the stack pusher in operative position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevation, mainly in section, illustrating the working parts in locked position.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the stack pusher.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the stack pusher comprises a flat, elongated base I supported adjacent its forward end by transversely spaced floor engaging rollers 2. Adjacent its rear end the base is fitted with a pair of rearwardly and downwardly inclined flanges 3 which are rigid and re1atively narrow; said flanges each being formed at the lower edge with a row of sharp, floor engaging teeth 4 which likewise project rearwardly and downwardly. Similar and adjacent teeth 5 are formed in the side flanges 6 of the base.

Adjacent but short of its forward end and on top the base I is fitted with a fixed, open-ended guide sleeve 1 Which extends horizontally and lengthwise of said base. Such sleeve is here shown as being rectangular in cross section and .includes'atop plate L8 and sides -9.

.A slide Ill, including upstanding side flanges I l, :is engaged in slidable relation in sleeve 1 and normally projects out of the forwardend of the latter; the projecting .portion of said slide being formed with a pair of transversely spaced,

rigid, upstanding ears H which normallyaextend to the frontend of base -.I, as shown in Fig. 2.

A vertical, box stack engaging post 13 is .dis-

posed at 'its lower end portion between the ears l2 and said postis pivoted in connection with said .ears for swingingfmovement in a longitudinal vertical plane by means of a cross bolt. The

.bolt 14 passes throughthe .post adjacent the upper ends of ears l2 and thus short of the lower end of the post which terminates adjacent the horizontal plane .of the top of the base- .As .so

mounted, the front or face of post 13 is disposed slightly ahead of the forward end of'base I.

The post is provided at its .upper end .withlaterallyand oppositely projecting handles l5,-.and

the post is normally locked against swinging .motion by means of a spring pressed latch pin I8 slidably mounted on the back oft-the post;.said pin engaging at the lower end in a socket [1 in the top plate 8 of sleeve 1. At its upper end and adjacent handles IS, the pin I6 is formed with a lateral control finger I8. When the pin is engaged in socket ll, the slide I0 is held in retracted position, as shown in Fig. 2.

A foot actuated, slide advancing device is employed, and such device comprises a lever unit I9 which is pivoted at its forward end on a cross rod 20 extending between upstanding ears 2| on the slide l0 adjacent the rear; the lever unit being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from said cross rod and at its upper end said lever unit is fitted with a foot pedal 22. A link 23 is pivotally connected at one end to the lever unit is intermediate the ends of the latter, as at 24, and slopes rearwardly and downwardly therefrom to pivotal connection with the base adjacent its rear end, as at 2-5. A loaded tension spring 26 connects between the cross rod 20 on the slide and a rear ward point on the base whereby such spring normally acts to retract the slide.

The above described stack pusher is used in the following manner;

To shift a stack S of boxes without lifting the stack from the floor, as for example in a railroad refrigerator car, the stack pusher is advanced on rollers 2 until the post I3 abuts against one side or one end of the stack. The operator then places his foot on the pedal 22 and, after releasing pin l6 from socket l1, depresses said pedal. This causes the slide l and post l3 to advance relative to the base I, as retraction of the latter is prevented by teeth 4 biting into the floor. Thus, as the slide and post are advanced, the stack of boxes is shifted in the desired direction.

If the stack is diflicult to move in the above manner, a more forceful moving actioncan be obtained by swinging the post rearward, at, the top, which causes the lower end portion P of said l -in -a post;.pivotally mounted between and uption of the base, a slide mounted on the base for movement lengthwise thereof, a member mounted on the slide for engagement with a stack of boxes, and means to advance the slide relative to the base; said slide including a pair of transversely spaced, upstanding ears adjacent the forward end 7 of the base, and said stack engaging member be- I standing from said ears. J

post to swing forward in engagement with the tion wherebyto engage an out d-line box and shift it backto correct position, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The teeth 5 on side flanges 6 of base I are provided for the reason that in railroad refrigerator cars the floors are slotted, and thus if the transverse rows of teeth 4 rest over a slot, the teeth 5 become immediately eifective. I I g L From the foregoing description it will'be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfillsthe objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may beresorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1 A box stack pusher comprising a base 2. A box stack pusher as in claim 1 in which the post is pivoted adjacent but short of its lower end in connection with said ears for swinging movement in a longitudinal vertical plane.

- 3. A box stack pusher comprising a base adapted to be supported from a floor, means on the base to bite into the floor and prevent retraction of the base, a guide sleeve mounted lengthwise on the base, a slide in and projecting forwardly from the sleeve, means to advance and retract the slide, an upstanding, vertically elongated post mounted on the slide forwardly of the sleeve, and a vertically movable latch pin imounted on the post at the back, saidsleeve having a socket therein in position to receive the pin when the slide is retracted. e

' 4. A stack pusher as in claim 3 in which the post is mounted on'the slide for swinging movement in a longitudinal vertical plane.

5. A pusher for a plurality of boxes stacked in superimposed relation, such pusher comprising a base adapted to be supported from a floor, means on the ba'se'to engage the floor and prevent retraction of the base, a slide mounted on the base for horizontal movement lengthwise thereof, afoot operated means to forcefully move the slide along the base in a forward direction, the

' forward en'd of the slide when advanced extending some distance ahead of the base, a tension spring interposed between the slide and base'and functioning to retract the slide from forward position upon release of the slide. advancing means,

and an upstanding post on the slide at itsforward end, such post being of a height to engage all the p box'es of the stack and move them as a, unitwith adapted to be supportedfrom a floor, means on the base to bite into thefloor and prevent retracthe forward advancement of thejslide. CLARENCE M. ELLIS. 

